As most of you are already aware, Greg Bennett has been designing guitars for the Samick organization. This hire was probably one of the smartest things Samick has ever done, since Greg's signature has gone from an interesting picture and footnote in their advertising, to a full fledged, well respected brand. I believe this is rooted in Greg's luthier philosophy. He believes in quality materials, traditional designs (with a few twists to keep them interesting), fine but subtle appointments, and simple physics in instrument design. These features apply to both electric and acoustic guitars. Recently we reviewed the Ultramatic™ as an example of the electric line. In this review we take a hard look at the Carolina, a sweet sounding slope shoulder dread.

It is no secret that the model that receives most of the attention in Greg Bennett's acoustic line is the Continental line, especially the OM-8 because of it's nod toward the popular higher end lines of Martin.

However, as popular as the Continental model is, the Carolina really deserves unique status as a "hidden gem". As I opened the box for the first time, I quickly realized that this guitar could be something special.

As I lifted it out and unwrapped the guitar from its protective packaging, I was captured by the pungent smell of cedar. As I set it in my lap, it balanced well and the nice addition of D'Addario EXP strings felt good under my fingers. I strummed out a few chords before taking a hard look at the model, and I was really impressed by the complexity and character of the sound emanating from this guitar.

Exploring the feature set of this guitar, it becomes readily evident upon any strict "point-by-point" comparison that this guitar is hard to beat.

Take a look at this list:

• Solid quarter sawn cedar top
  
• Rosewood back and sides - glossy and figured
  
• Scalloped braces
  
• Slotted square fret markers
  
• Bold herring-bone binding and back stripe
  
• Grover™ tuners
  
• Southern jumbo size
  

Here are some pics of the herringbone trim and inlay details:



As I examined this guitar from top to bottom, I could find very few flaws. The Grover tuners were sensitive to tuning, yet had no slippage. The action of the guitar was low and easy to play right out of the box, with perfect intonation at every fret. The fretwork was generally excellent - all being smooth and even.

Although a typical complaint for guitars made in Asian factories, there were no visible flaws in any of the trim, inlays or binding. Based on this model, it appears that quality control is very tight on this line - nevertheless you may want to inspect your guitar personally.

I did have a little trouble fitting and keeping my leather strap attached to the endpin, although it probably had more to do with the strap than the guitar. But if you are going to be standing with this guitar, I would suggest strap locks...a good investment in any case.

I did notice a hint or two of glue escaping some of the braces on the inside of the guitar - but this is not uncommon - even in some high end instruments.

What I really enjoyed about this guitar was the feel. It instantly reminds me of one of the guitars John Lennon played with the Beatles - a great little slope shoulder Gibson. Because of it's shape, the higher frequencies are compressed, resulting in a treble response that is nice and bright - almost crisp in timbre - without giving up any of the low end due to it's wide bottom. The cedar top allows the guitar to have outstanding tone and resonance right out of the box.

The model that I was sent, the SJ-14, did not have a electronic pickup; however, if you can opt for the SJ-14E which has a Fishman® Classic 4 band EQ. I personally like the looks of the SJ-14 without the cutaway, but if you'd like greater access to the higher frets, this model does come in a cutaway verson.

This guitar quickly became one of my everyday favorites. I own some high end guitars, but if you are like me, you love the sound of those guitars but don't want to "bang around" with your Taylor or Martin or Breedlove. Unfortunately, the guitars I have on the lower end don't really satisfy my ear for good acoustic tone.

The Carolina is the perfect guitar for bridging that gulf. It is a great guitar at a great price point. I would not hesitate bringing this guitar on stage, into a recording studio, or even to the beach. I would say that this guitar would be the perfect starter guitar or even a solid backup for a gigging musician. However, it really is good enough to be used on its own in a professional situation. It plays exceptionally well, sounds wonderful, and is tasteful and understated in it's design. What more can you ask?

I've become very impressed with Greg Bennett's line of guitars. You can check out their entire line by going to their website.

Greg Bennett Guitars

In closing, it is my pleasure to give the Greg Bennett Carolina the 2005 GearHead Approved award. We at GuitarGearHeads are looking forward to seeing what else Greg Bennett brings to the table in the future. If this is any indication of the quality we can expect at such a sweet price point, I'm sure a revolution will soon be underway!




As a further note, because of the quality of this guitar, I've asked the folks at Samick if I could hold onto the Carolina and use it for examples related to third party pickup installation, such as the M1 from LR Baggs. So expect to see much more of this guitar in the future as we conduct further reviews!

Daniel L. Halberg

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